Currently, when a network management system (NMS) configures a router network, the NMS cannot configure any part of the network not made up of routers. Any switches that connect a router from one router network to a different router from another router network are often not recognizable to a local area network (LAN) management system (LMS). Similarly, any routers connected to a switch from a switch network are often not recognizable to the wide area network (WAN) management system (WMS) that manages the switch network. This separation creates a requirement that two separate network management systems be used to configure a cross network system. Additionally, if a switch-to-switch connection is damaged, an LMS usually cannot determine where the problem is and has little ability to reroute the connection around the damaged connection. The converse is true in that a WMS has difficulty determining router-to-router connection damage and reroute around the connection.
In identifying switches and routers, much of the difficulty arises is in the presence of slots and ports. A typical midrange WAN switch can contain up to 32 slots. While two of those slots are reserved for other purposes, up to thirty slots are available to be filled with communication cards. These communication cards contain several ports. Each of these ports can create a different connection between the switch and another communication device. The number of slots and ports can be higher or lower depending upon the model. Routers have a similar set up. The lack of knowledge about which slot and which port is being used is what makes communication between the LMS and the switches or between the WMS and the routers difficult.
Because the LMS often has no knowledge of intervening switches, one prior art way to set up a connection between two routers in two separate networks is to follow an inefficient multi-step process. First, all the routers in the first network must be set up using either a command line interface (CLI) at the router or by using the appropriate graphical user interface (GUI) at the first network's LMS. Secondly, the proper switch universal frame relay module (UFM) to UFM frame relay connection must be established using a CLI at the switch or by using a WMS. Finally, a data connection link identifier (DCLI) between the UFM and the each external router must be set up through the LMS of either network or a CLI. As shown, this method is not very efficient and far from user friendly.